All states except Mississippi and West Virginia allow parents to opt out of their children’s otherwise-mandatory vaccinations for religious reasons.

In California, those with a religious exemption don’t even need to seek a health practitioner’s signature, unlike others. That’s because of a vaccine policy change implemented by Gov. Jerry Brown.

But a review of religious policy reveals that few, if any, religions actually oppose vaccination, according to research by the California Immunization Coalition, a nonprofit, public-private partnership dedicated to full immunization protection for all Californians.

These are the policies of various religions on vaccination, according to research by the coalition and others:

Mainstream Christian denominations: No scriptural or canonical objection to the use of vaccines. These include Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, Anglican, Baptist, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Congregational, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist (including African Methodist Episcopal), Pentecostal, Presbyterian, and Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Roman Catholics recognize the importance of vaccinations and support their use to protect both individuals and the larger community.

Amish: While a minority of Amish parents do not vaccinate their children, vaccination is not prohibited by their religion.

Christian Science: There are some faith-healing groups — of which the Church of Christ, Scientist (Christian Science) is the most prominent — that believe prayer can heal, making vaccines unnecessary. But the church does not oppose vaccinations.

Hindu: There is no formal statement from Hindu authorities on vaccination, as Hinduism has several hundreds of sects, each with its traditions and rules. But many areas of the world with large Hindu populations, such as India, have taken proactive efforts to eradicate vaccine-preventable diseases like polio.

Muslim: Many imams and other Islamic leaders have issued clear statements saying that vaccination is consistent with Islamic principles. In particular, a 1995 conference of Islamic scholars concluded: “The transformation of pork products into gelatin alters them sufficiently to make it permissible for observant Muslims to receive vaccines containing pork gelatin.”

However, some specific select Muslim communities throughout the world have opposed vaccinations, including the Nation of Islam, whose leader Minister Louis Farrakhan once said that the 2009 H1N1 flu vaccine was designed to kill people. While Nation of Islam members call themselves Muslims, mainstream Muslims reject the group’s beliefs.

In Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Taliban oppose vaccination as a plot to sterilize Muslims. The Taliban have kidnapped, beaten and assassinated vaccination officials, including the head of Pakistan’s vaccination campaign.

Jehovah’s Witnesses: According to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, the main legal entity that organizes worldwide activities by Jehovah’s Witnesses, “We have no objection to vaccines in general.”

Jewish: While there is no single voice for Jewish communities, many rabbis have spoken out in favor of vaccinations, noting the importance of preserving life (pikuakh nefesh). The rabbis also point out that, according to Jewish law, there is no objection to porcine or other animal-derived ingredients in non-oral products, such as injectable vaccines.

Sikh: There is no official statement on immunization from Sikh authorities. But generally Sikhs do not have religious or societal issues against vaccination.

Lisa M. Krieger is a science writer at The Mercury News, covering research, scientific policy and environmental news from Stanford University, the University of California, NASA-Ames, U.S. Geological Survey and other Bay Area-based research facilities. Lisa also contributes to the Videography team. She graduated from Duke University with a degree in biology. Outside of work, she enjoys photography, backpacking, swimming and bird-watching.

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